32in LCD TVs such as Mirai's DTL-832E600 (reviewed What's New, Shopper 244) are now available for as little as £350 including VAT, so this 32in model from Philips was always going to have a tough time justifying its high price. Thankfully, it offers a lot for your money in both performance and features.
The 32PFL9632D may not be the most alluring of names, but the TV looks stunning. The glass stand is stylish, feels sturdy, and the screen rotates on it by up to 45°, making it easier to reach the inputs on the rear. This is one of the few HD TVs we've seen with three HDMI inputs, which is plenty for most users.
Picture quality is excellent, thanks to Philips' Perfect Pixel HD Engine. This processes almost every aspect of the image, with clear benefits: picture noise in areas of flat colour is largely eliminated from Freeview broadcasts and motion is smoothed by the TV creating extra frames to match its 100Hz refresh rate. These combine with dynamic contrast control to create a sharper and more life-like image than that seen on most LCD TVs.
The effect of all this visual trickery is most obvious on poor-quality video content such as Freeview broadcasts. HD video also benefits, but not to the same degree. The TV will accept HD inputs up to 1080p, which are scaled to the display's native resolution of 1,366x768. It's compatible with 24p content from Blu-ray discs, so you will be able to watch films at the native 24fps in which they were filmed. For those who like to tweak the settings, there are extensive options and wizards.
Using a DVI-to-HDMI cable you can connect a PC at a near-native 1360x768 resolution. We saw slightly improved contrast and more vibrant colours compared to the budget Mirai DTL-832E600. However, there's no VGA input, which means you can't connect some media centre PCs and laptops to this TV. Unusually, there's a USB port for connecting storage devices so you can view JPEG, MPEG1 and MPEG2 files, or listen to MP3s.
Another great addition is Philips' Ambilight technology. Two lights on the rear provide coloured ambient lighting that matches the onscreen action. This adds to the experience of watching movies with the lights turned down and the excellent speakers create an impressive atmosphere. Dialogue is clear and crisp, and there's even some bass. The remote control is chunky yet comfortable, and there's an eight-day electronic programme guide for Freeview broadcasts. A slot for a conditional access module lets you add subscription TV channels, too.
Philips' 32PFL9632D is the most stylish, best-equipped and highest-quality 32in TV we've ever seen, and thoroughly deserves our coveted Ultimate award.
1,366x768 native resolution, 8,000:1 contrast ratio, 550cd/m2 brightness, 3x HDMI, 2x SCART, component, S-video, and composite inputs, digital and analogue tuners, one-year collect-and-return warranty power consumption 77W active, 2W standbyAuthor: Seth Barton
Philips 32PFL9632D